Harrington, WA

Harrington is a Lincoln County city in eastern Washington's wheat country, first settled in 1879 by Adam Edward Ludy and Jacob Ludy and incorporated in 1902. The town was named for W. P. Harrington, a banker who invested in local land. Its early economy was tied to the railroad and to shipping wheat and cattle, so Harrington grew as a working service point between farms instead of as an isolated stop on the map.

That connection still shows up downtown. The Harrington Opera House opened in 1904 and now hosts music, theater, quilt shows, rummage sales, and other gatherings. The Electric Hotel, the city park, a nine-hole golf course, local shops, a food mart, and farm-service businesses give the small center a surprisingly full calendar. The Chamber lists car shows, a vintage country fair, a fall festival, and Hometown Christmas among the annual events. Harrington feels like eastern Washington in miniature: wheat fields outside town, historic brick buildings in the center, and community events that keep the old railroad town in motion.